The Count
by jazzywazzy08
Summary: In which Bonnie and Stefan are reincarnations of Mina Murray and Count Dracula. AU, from 1x01.


**Title:** The Count

**Rating: **M

**Genre:** AU/AH/Supernatural/Horror

**Pairing(s): **Bonnie/Stefan

**Summary: **In which Bonnie and Stefan are reincarnations of Mina Murray and Count Dracula. AU, from 1x01.

**Warnings:** Language, Character Death, Violence, Torture, Non-Canon, Sexual Content, Dub-con, etc.

**Stefonnie Appreciation Week Theme:** Day Five (Classic/Modern Literature)

_**Characters will appear in some form as followed:**_

_Vlad Tepes/Count Dracula || Stefan Salvatore _

_Wilhelmina Murray/Ilona Szilagyi || Bonnie Bennett_

_Abraham Van Helsing ||Alaric Saltzman_

_Johnathan Harker || Matt Donovan _

_Lucy Westenra || Caroline Forbes_

_R.M. Renfield || Damon Salvatore _

_**Author's Note: And so Stefonnie week continues. This is a fic inspired by Dracula by Bram Stoker. The thing is I chopped and screwed the mythology a bit and its different but I hope you guys still like it. I combined the vampire mythology from TVD with the ones from Dracula so its kind of a combination of both types power wise. I also combined the overall backstories and also took some inspiration from Dracula (1992). I feel like this is really bad but I promised to post it so here it is. For those that don't know Stoker was inspired for Dracula by real life Vlad Tepes aka Vlad the Impaler, prince, warrior, and member of the House of Draculesti, I am chop and screwing his history a bit as well. I am not sure how well this turned out but I tried. Anyway this is AU starting from the pilot of TVD. For the sake of this story, Stefan a reincarnation of Vlad Tepes who became known as Count Dracula after the death of his wife and he was made a vampire by his wife's coven, also he was born and turned in the early 1900's rather than the 1800's because well Dracula is set during 1893 and Stefan can't be the reincarnation of someone that existed during that same time. Lol. Bonnie is the second incarnation of Dracula's wife Ilona, the first being Mina Murray. So changes to the Vlad Tepes backstory include portraying his wife as a witch. In the story as, Dracula served the Order of the Dragon which was meant to uphold Christianity and defend the empire against the Ottoman Turks, things went south when Ilona was discovered practicing witchcraft in order to protect Vlad on the battle field, at which point she is burned at the stake. Vlad vows to take vengeance and is gifted with immortality by her coven and promises that Ilona will one day return, and in return he takes down the church. Ilona returns as Mina, and things are pretty much canon except the fact that after Dracula is killed instead of living on happily with John Harker, her powers as a witch begin to personify after his death and not understanding what is happening and seeing them as a sign that she is still infected with Dracula's curse she commits suicide. Alaric comes in as the history teacher at the beginning of the year, he is a descendent of Abraham Van Helsing who is working to free his family of curse that was placed on them after the defeat of Dracula in 1893 by a coven of witches that formed to aid Dracula after the death of the original incarnation of his wife Ilona. Also Damon is human in this If you don't get it hopefully it comes to light as you read. This note is getting long as heck so….here goes the story. **_

**Part One **∥** Storm**

"There is a reason why all things are as they are._" __Bram Stoker, __Dracula_

_**London, England, 1893 A.D. **_

The sound of thunder caused Johnathan Harker to stir from his sleep. As he sat up in bed, reaching out for his wife, he realized that Wilhelmina wasn't in bed next to him. Frowning he looked around their bedroom in search of any sign of her.

"Mina?" He called out, and received no answer.

It had been three months since Dracula's defeat and in that time things had not gotten better as they had expected them to. Even though Abraham Van Helsing had assured them that with his death, Dracula's curse had been lifted from Mina, his wife was exhibiting strange behavior and even stranger abilities. The creation of fire. The levitation of objects. Control of the weather. All signs pointed to something supernatural.

Then there were the dreams. The dreams that haunted her, dreams of a woman burning. A woman that he was sure Mina knew that identity of but she wouldn't tell him. There were a lot of things that she kept from him now, and it all started with Dracula, but it had not ended with him.

John got out of bed when he realized that the doors to the balcony were open. The wind and the rain swept into the room as he ran around the bed toward the open doors.

He moved to close them, but stopped when he realized that his wife was outside in the storm. He came outside in time to see Mina climbing over the railing and standing on the other side, her hands gripping the bars, ready to fling herself off.

"Mina," John shouted, in an effort to be heard over the storm, "What are you doing? Come down for there."

She looked over her shoulder at him, her dark damp hair clinging to her face. Her eyes were sad, her nightgown soaked through. "I can't do it anymore, John," she said, "I can't."

"It isn't as bad as all of that Mina," John said, stepping further out onto the balcony, "We have made it through much worse."

"He won't let me go, John," Mina said, shaking her head, "I thought it was over but the curse…it has to be the curse. What else could it be?"

John reached out his hand but stopped himself when she turned away from him. They had been trying to find the origin of her new gifts for weeks, with nothing to link it to outside of the Count they had come up with no answer. "Why would he hold onto you?" he asked, "He's free now. He's dead. At peace. Likely with his wife. We're free of him. We have been for some time now."

"I'll never be free of him," Mina said, shaking her head, "His wife, she haunts my dreams. It's her that I see every night. Dying. Burning. And he can never save her. He never makes it in time to save her."

"Mina listen to me," John said, trying to hide his panic and remain calm, "This isn't the way. There's still time to find a solution, an answer. It doesn't have to be him."

Mina had stopped listening to him and was looking out into the night. "It was a night like this when he first came," she said, her voice sounding distant, even though she was just within his reach, "It rained like it had never rained before. The skies screamed and I knew that something was coming. It was him…he was coming for me and he's here again."

"No, Mina," John tried, his voice pleading, "He's dead. He's gone and he's not going to come back."

"I am sorry, John," Mina said, turning to face him finally, "I do love you. But I have to go now. He needs to me."

"No!" John moved to grab her but he wasn't fast enough. She let go of the railing and flung herself forward. "Mina!" he shouted out into the night.

He watched in horror as she fell, not a sound leaving her lips, making the sight all the more eerie. When Mina finally hit the ground, the rain stopped and the skies cleared.

**:::**

_**Mystic Falls, Virginia, 2009 A.D.**_

_The flames rose around her and yet she showed no fear. She had been well aware of the consequences when she had performed the spell. It had been worth it, even as those who had once respected her and praised her beauty and virtues now crowded around to watch her burn. Her prince had lived, he had prospered and she had done more to protect him and their army than these people ever had. They saw her magic as a sin but she had been their savior more times than they would ever know. _

_ The smoke surrounded her and filled her lungs. She choked on it as the flames finally reached her, catching the edges of the skirts of her dress. This would be her death, slow and painful. She prayed to God mercy, called upon the spirits to shield her from her pain. But the flames licked her legs and her dress ignited at a rapid pace. _

_ Tears began to sting her eyes as the pain took hold. But she refused to scream, even as she smelled the smell of her own burning flesh. That was what they wanted, for her to show weakness. To burn the nonexistent demon from her body that was doing the devil's work. In the old times she would have been worshipped. Her power praised and her people grateful for her services. But there was no room for magic in the time of religion. No need for the supernatural in the age of logical thinking. The era of magic had come and gone, but like with most things the time for magic would come again even if she would not be alive to see it. _

_ The pain was unspeakable, the flames now reaching her waist. Her eyes were blurred with tears and even as she bit her lip to stop her scream it left her anyway. She could taste the copper of her own blood as her teeth broke through the skin of lip as she tried harder to keep her screams at bay. _

_ "Ilona!" a voice called through the crowd, one that she knew well, "Ilona!"_

_ She looked through the smoke, but she could not see her prince through the tears and the rising ashes. It mattered not, he was too late to save her. _

_ She wanted to call out to him but she was already losing consciousness due to the shock and pain. She welcomed it. Welcomed the freedom and the darkness. _

_ "Is this my reward for defending God's church?" his voice rang out, just as her eyes shut, "I renounce God! I shall rise from my own death to avenge hers with all the powers of darkness!"_

Bonnie Bennett shot up in bed just as lightning crashed outside. It was the third time in as many nights that she had had the same dream. She had hoped that it would bypass her that night, as she would have the first day of her sophomore year of high school in just a few hours. However, it was clear to her that it wouldn't be any easier for her to get a full night's sleep that night than it had been on the one's prior.

The storm that had started just before she had gone to bed was still raging. The winds howled and the rain flooded the streets of the small Virginia town and Bonnie was sure that she was not the only one that was awake during such late hours.

Sighing she got out of bed, kissing her fingers and placing them on the picture of her mother and father that was sitting on her nightstand. They had died in car crash one year earlier and Bonnie had been living with her grandmother, Sheila Bennett, ever since.

She walked into the bathroom, turned on the light, and looked at herself in the mirror. She frowned as she noted the bags under her green eyes and the sallow color of her almond skin. Turning on the faucet she splashed her face with water and tried to clear her head.

The nightmares weren't the worst of it. There was also a voice that she kept hearing echoing in her mind, the same voice that had called to the woman that she kept seeing being burned alive in her dreams. The most terrifying aspect was that at times Bonnie could swear that the woman in her dreams wasn't some stranger, that the woman was her and had her face.

She knew that it was insane to even consider but things had been rather insane as of late. Their history teacher and his wife and disappeared over the summer while vacationing in Romania. The only reason that Bonnie had known was because Mr. Tanner had been the football coach and her ex-boyfriend Matt Donovan was currently caption of the team.

The strange occurrences didn't stop there. There was also the fact that the old Salvatore boardinghouse that had been closed down and boarded up for decades was now being cleared out and opened up. It had given the town pause as it was said that the family had died off long ago.

The storm was a part of the strange occurrences as well. While the other things Bonnie had brushed off, the storm was bothering her, as were her dreams. She didn't know who to go to about them. Ordinarily Bonnie would go to her grandmother but Sheila's drinking had gotten worse as of late and Bonnie didn't feel comfortable bringing it up.

Her friends, Caroline Forbes and Elena Gilbert, were an option, she supposed. But she was sure that they would laugh at her or call her crazy. Even she thought that she was going crazy, so she couldn't say that she would blame them. And so she knew that it was just another thing that she would have to deal with on her own. Another burden that she would have to take on by herself, along with the grief that she still felt over her parents and her grandmother's constant drinking.

Hearing movement downstairs Bonnie frowned and left the bathroom. Leaving her room, she walked out into the hallway and made her way through her house and downstairs. As she reached the bottom of the stairs she realized that the front door was open, her grandmother in the doorway watching the storm still continuing outside.

"Grams," Bonnie said, coming up to stand behind her, "What are you doing? It's late. You should be in bed." She wrapped her arms around herself to and shivered, the tank top and pajama shorts she was wearing were doing nothing to shield her from the cold.

Sheila continued to stare even as the wind and rain blew inside of the house. Her robe and nightgown were wet and yet she seemed unbothered. "I could say the same to you," she said.

"Grams," Bonnie sighed, "Seriously, it's late. Let's go to bed."

Sheila shook her head, frowning. "I won't be getting any more sleep tonight," Sheila said, "And neither will you. Something's coming. You feel it don't you?"

Bonnie shook her head and moved to close the door. She had to struggle with the wind in order to get it shut, but eventually she was able to shut and lock it.

"The only thing that I feel," Bonnie said, turning back to the grandmother, "Is the need to lock the liquor cabinet."

"You laugh now," she said, "But you need to take heed. And when the time comes you'll come to me. I know you will."

Bonnie had gotten pass the point where she could take her grandmother seriously a long time ago. The woman and been rambling and witchcraft and the supernatural for months and Bonnie had learned to disregard it. So she ignored her words as she led her grandmother back to her room not bothering to respond as the woman continued to ramble. She might have listened had she known that one day she would have wished that she had taken her grandmother's warnings seriously.

**:::**

_**Romania, 1462 A.D. **_

The tall slender servant by the name of, Fane Arcos, scuttled through the halls of the palace followed closely by the palace guards. Though, his actions were done for the sake of his own survival Fane felt sorry at betraying the prince's consort. Ilona Szilagyi had been suspected of witchcraft by the church for some time now, but the suspicions had never been investigated due to the fear of the wrath of the prince. It was no secret that Vlad Tepes had a temper, just as it was no secret that he prized Ilona above all things.

They now had their chance to investigate Ilona, however, now that Vlad and the Order of the Dragon were in battle defending their people against the Ottoman Turks. No matter how much Vlad loved his princess they could not have a sinner contracted to their prince, and in the eyes of the church that was what witchcraft was, a sin, the work of the devil.

Fane had been to Ilona for assistance more than once himself, many times for his ailing daughter, and once when his wife had been possessed by a ghost. She and her coven had aided their people for centuries in secret, even before the rise of the church. But once Christianity had taken hold, many of the old customs had been abandon and demonized, and the practice of magic had been one of them.

The more traditional among them could differentiate the practice of magic from the practice of the dark arts but for the church the matters were black and white. So determined were the church officials to root out all magical practices they had gone as far as to threaten the very people that their religion should have compelled them to protect. And it was the threat to his life that had the servant leading the guards down to the palace dungeons and through the secret passage ways to the curtain covered door marked with the draconic symbol of Ilona's coven.

He looked down as the guards kicked the door in, bursting into the room just as Ilona finished the spell that would insure their victory over the Turks. The guards moved to seize her as the flames of the candles that surrounded her went out.

Fane looked away as Ilona's eyes met his, hers filled with sadness at his betrayal. "Ilona Szilagyi," the largest of the guards said, "You have been accused of witchcraft and are to be tried for your crimes against the church."

"I have done nothing but protect my prince and my people," Ilona said, meeting his gaze, "And if the church chooses to put me to death for it then may God unite my prince and me in heaven."

The guard grabbed her by her arms and forced her forward. "God does not serve your kind," he said, "Your dark arts have already damned you to hell."

"My magic is not dark," Ilona said, "It is the light and it has saved this land more than once. And if God will have me punished for it as you say and I will not see my prince in death then my prince will return to me on earth. We will live again, my magic will make sure of it."

**:::**

**Mystic Falls, Virginia, 2009 A.D.**

Damon Salvatore watched as the last of the boxes were loaded into the house. The storm had finally ebbed as his vampire ancestor's boat had docked. A plane might had been more practical had there not been so much cargo that had needed to be transported along with the vampire and had the Count not been so set in the ways of old.

It had been decades since a Salvatore had set foot in Mystic Falls and Damon was sure their arrival would cause suspicion. But this was where his princess was and so this was where the Count wished to be.

Night was the time that the vampire preferred to prowl and so Damon was stuck unpacking his belongings as the vampire roamed the city in the form of both wolf and man in search of his next victim. In the day, in which he was able to walk thanks to the ring he had received from the witches that were still loyal to him or rather the first incarnation of his wife, the vampire would have a different kind of prey.

It had been one year ago when Damon had discovered that the last of the Draculs had been reborn. For centuries his family had tried to distance themselves from their crazed ancestor R.M. Renfield, who had served the demon Count Dracula during the eighteen hundreds when promised immortality. Going as far as changing their name to Salvatore, moving the family overseas to the Americas, and starting a crusade against the supernatural.

Little did they know that the Count would deliver on his promise to Renfield, just not the way that Renfield had expected him to. A few years after the Count's death at the hands of John Harker and Abraham Van Helsing, the man had be reincarnated within their family, with the birth of Stefan Salvatore, though it wasn't until Stefan was turned into the monster that he had once been that the memories of his past life had been returned to him.

When Stefan was discovered he was forced into hiding, as his own father Giuseppe, had tried to end his life. Refusing to end his war against supernatural creatures Giuseppe went from targeting his son to the witches that he had held responsible for his son's birth. He had paid the price of his own life, the only thing left of both him and Renfield, were their journals, books that were now in Damon's possession.

While the rest of the members of the most recent generation of the Salvatore had written the happenings off as myths, Damon had always taken them seriously. That was why he felt that the vampire had chosen him to facilitate his return into society.

Giuseppe had been right, witches had been responsible for Stefan's birth. In particular the witches that belonged to the same draconic coven that the wife of the vampire's first incarnation belonged to. Ilona Szilagyi's coven had also been responsible for Ilona coming back as Mina Murray years prior. It had all been in an effort to right the wrong that had been done against her when she had been burned alive. It would all end, the deaths and the rebirths, once some form of Vlad and Ilona were able to be together in some incarnation as they were meant to be before. But things and people kept getting in the way of that.

It was Damon's job to make sure that no one interfered this time around and Stefan was paying him rather handsomely for it. When the witch, Lucy Bennett, had approached him a year ago and told him that he had been right about the supernatural all along and the legend of the Count had been real he had accepted it immediately. But the real proof of what she had said, was the fact that Ilona, and Mina Harker, had been reborn once again, as the last of the witch's line, Bonnie Bennett. The very girl Stefan was set to pursue the next day.

Damon had spent the better part of eight months reintroducing Stefan to the time period and preparing for his arrival. The job hadn't been as bad as he had thought, and the more time that he had spent in Stefan's company, the more appealing that the idea of immortality became.

Though the money was great, the real thing that kept Damon catering to the vampire's every whim was the hope that the vampire would one day gift him with immortality. But he was determined not to go the way of Renfield. He would not depend on Stefan solely to give him immortality the way that Renfield had relied on the Count, there were other vampires out there and other means to becoming what Stefan was. But until Damon found a way to get what he wanted he would make sure that the vampire had his needs met.

**:::**

_**Romania, 1462 A.D.**_

Prince Vlad Tepes had been traveling for three weeks on horseback, with only his weapons, the minimal amount of food and supplies, and his wife's ashes for company. It had been a long and lonely journey, full of grief and despair but finally he had made it to the place that he was looking for, where the roses bloomed black, and the servants of nature dwelled.

He could hear the sound of music as his horse came to a stop. Climbing off his horse he grabbed the jar that held his wife's ashes from the pack on the horse's side and followed the sound of the drums.

He walked past the rose bushes and through the trees until he came to a clearing. He saw the flames of the bonfire before her saw the witches gathered around. Their looks brought his wife to mind and he knew that he was among her people.

As he grew closer, an old woman departed from the group and approached him. Her dark hair was streaked in gray and her eyes were the same shade of green that his wife's had been. He bowed to her as a sign of respect and held out the jar in his hands. "I have come to return your daughter to you," he said.

The woman smiled sadly as she took the jar from his hands. "I thank you, young Draculesti," she said, "But I know that is not the only reason you have come. I have been expecting you. Ask me what you have come to ask, prince."

Vlad looked at her with pleading eyes. "Can you bring her back to me?" He asked. He had renounced the church and he had been exiled by his people. The only hope that he had left was to be found in magic, in the power that his wife had entrusted his life with.

"We can but it will take time, Draculesti," she said, "Oceans of time, and you will need to live through all before you will see your beloved again."

He frowned not understanding. "If what you are saying is true," he said, "How will I live to see her again. I will age as time passes. I will wither away and die."

"How many men have you killed prince?" the old woman asked, "How many lives' have you taken? Your reputation precedes you. Forty thousand slain by your hand. Impaled through with your spear, dismembered, their blood quenching your thirst. A monster amongst men they call you but are you really willing to live up to the title. Would you become the face of pure evil if it meant that you would not die and you would not age? If it meant that you could once again look upon Ilona's face?"

"I would do anything," Vlad said, his voice sincere.

"I had thought that you might," she said, "Come. Everything has been prepared. The only thing needed is you prince."

She guided him forward, in the midst of the spell that was already in progress. Though he could not understand their words he could feel their power.

The old woman passed his wife's remains off to another witch and then placed her hands on his shoulders, guiding him to his knees before the fire. He had never seen such magic practiced and had never suspected Ilona of coming from such people or possessing such powers, but he could understand how some could fear them. He could see how they could be misunderstood. But that did not justify Ilona's demise, as they had done more good for their people than harm and the same could not be for the church that Vlad had fought so hard to protect.

The old woman disappeared, seemingly fading into the darkness, only to reappear, goblet in hand. She presented it to him, and he looked down at the red liquid inside. "You must drink, Draculesti," she said, "Drink."

He took the goblet from her hands. He had drunken the blood of his enemies in battles many times but this was a different matter. Magic was not his territory. But he would do it, he would do it for his wife's sake.

"Drink," she pressed "The blood is the life! Drink!"

Vlad brought the goblet to his lips and drank from it. He continued to drink until the cup was emptied.

A moment later Vlad found himself ran through by the blade of sword. He was certain that he had been tricked, betrayed, but the old woman smiled down at him. "Worry not, prince," she said, "When you wake you will be the most feared creature that the night has ever seen. You will have your beloved and you will have your vengeance."

**:::**

_**Mystic Falls, Virginia 2009 A.D.**_

Stefan Salvatore had felt out of place almost from the moment he had been able to form his first conscious thought. As if he were a stranger in his own skin. Though, as a human he had been a dutiful son, he had not even felt as if he were a true member of his own family. He was an other, an outlier and when he was not making himself feel it, he had been made to feel it by the man that he had called father.

It was not until he had been turned into the creature that he was now that he understood why. When he had regained his monstrous form and the powers that came along with it. The strength of twenty men. The ability to shift from the form of man to the form of beast. Disappearing into mist and shadow. The need of blood to sustain his life, and his youth. And while he enjoyed his powers immensely they were not the most important thing that resulted from his change, that honor went to the restoration of his memories.

He had many lives in his head. The life of Vlad Tepes, warrior and prince. The life of Count Dracula, monster and gentlemen. And now the life of Stefan Salvatore, the category in which he was placed now was still a matter of debate and dependent on who was asked. The only consistency outside of himself had been his wife; his Ilona, who had become his Mina, and was now his Bonnie.

It had taken him sixteen years after her birth to learn of her return. He had been in hiding now for over one hundred. There were always those that saw fit to hunt his kind, and him in particular, starting with his own father and continuing in this time with the most recent generation of the Van Helsings. He had found refuge with the draconic coven, and as they were ever loyal to his wife who had once been their most cherished and powerful member, he would always have a home within in their midst.

The witches had been responsible for their rebirths, again and again, bringing them back in new forms in hopes that the universe would right itself and allow them to be together. It was a cycle that Stefan hoped would end with him and Bonnie.

He had yet to see her in person in this time, but he longed for her just the same, loved her just the same. He supposed it was his memories, or perhaps it was fate as the witches claimed. Either way he felt the need to know her. He felt as if she belonged to him, not that she would but rather that she did already. As if she were a missing limb, or some piece to a puzzle that would complete him and validate his existence.

He stood in front of the fireplace in the boardinghouse that would now be his home. It was a far cry from a castle, but it would do for now. His home, his real home was still intact, and so once he was done here, once he had her, they could return to it if they so wished.

"Have you always been so brooding?" A voice said behind him.

He turned to face Damon and gave him nod, but did not return his smile. The man was efficient, and compliant, but also reckless. Stefan was certain that there would be some point in the future in which he would have to dispose of him, once he stopped being useful and became more demanding.

"Yes," he answered, his face not betraying his thoughts, "In every time in which I have existed I am afraid. Though, in the company of my wife, I am less so."

Damon held out a glass of bourbon in offering and Stefan took it though he had no plans to drink it. He watched as his own shadow crept up behind Damon and touched him on the shoulder. He smirked as Damon jumped and turned to find nothing there.

"Could you maybe stop doing that?" Damon asked, turning back to him, "Or at least wait until I'm drunk enough for it not to creep me out?"

"You should get used to strange occurrences, Mr. Salvatore," Stefan said, "They tend to happen rather frequently around me."

"So I've noticed," Damon said, rolling his eyes and downing the drink in his hand. He gestured toward the mantle of the fireplace on which Stefan had placed both a small painted portrait of Ilona and next to it a photograph of Mina Murray. "Is that her?" Damon asked.

Again Stefan nodded. "In one time," he said, "And yet again in another."

"She's beautiful but have you ever thought that maybe she won't be the same," Damon said, "Personality wise I mean. She was your wife, I get it. But this isn't the same time or the same place, and reincarnation or not you're not the same people."

"There are things that do not change with the passage of time," Stefan said, "Our love is one of them. Perhaps one day you will know what it is to love and you will understand. People may die Mr. Salvatore, but love never dies."

**:::**

_**London, England, 1893 A.D. **_

Abraham Van Helsing sat across from John Harker, in his study. It had been a week since Mina's funeral and though it was a trying time for Mr. Harker, Abraham felt that it was only right that the man should know exactly what had happened to his wife.

"You said that once the Count had died the curse would be lifted from Mina," John said, "And yet she had these powers, these abilities that could not be explained. And worse than that she had these dreams that had driven her to insanity. You promised us peace, freedom. That is why we joined your crusade. But I am beginning to think that it was all a lie so that you could defeat him no matter the cost."

Abraham sighed and sat back in his chair. "I don't blame you for your skepticism Mr. Harker," he said, "But I assure you that your wife's abilities had nothing to do with her ingestion of the monster's blood. The curse on her had been lifted upon his death as I promised."

John leaned forward, his eyes wide, almost crazed. "Then how do you explain," he said, "Those cursed powers?"

"I asked you to suspend your mind and believe in the impossible before," Abraham said, "Perhaps you can do so again."

John nodded, albeit reluctantly, and settled back into his chair. "I'm listening," he said.

"As I said before," Abraham said, "Your wife's abilities had nothing to do with Count Dracula. Ever since his death I have been searching for his connection to your wife. I have been trying to find the reason that he pursued her so incessantly. A week before her death she revealed to me that he had claimed that she was his wife, reincarnated."

John frowned, shaking his head. "How is that possible?"

"All of my research has always been focused on him," he answered, "I had paid very little attention to his wife prior to Mina mentioning her. But it did not take long after my conversation with her to discover that the Dracul's wife had been executed for the practice of witchcraft."

"She was burned," John said, "Wasn't she? Mina said before she died that it was his wife that haunted her dreams. That she saw her burning every night."

"Yes," Abraham revealed, "She was burned. She was a member of the draconic coven. They predated the Order of the Dragon and even the church. It was her people, the witches that made the Count what he was. The myth about the sacrilege against the church creating the monster was manufactured to protect them, so they could thrive and flourish and the church could take the blame. His wife was not the first to be discovered and burned, nor would she be the last. They made him what he was in hopes that he would bring down the church and that is what he did, that is why I believe that he is weakened by the crucifix and can be harmed through the use of holy water. As a reward for bringing an end to the church's rule they promised him to return his wife to him and they did, in the form of Mina."

"And Mina's abilities," John said, "They were not from the curse but because she was the reincarnation of a witch."

"Not just a witch but the most powerful of the line," Abraham said, "The witches call themselves natures servants. I do not understand it when they had a hand in creating one of nature's greatest abominations. But Ilona, Dracula's wife, was never meant to die. She was meant to live and prosper, and bring their coven to a new age of power, and Dracula was meant to be at her side. They are said to protect the balance of all things, had she lived she would have kept it. Her death disturbed it, which allowed them to create Dracula, and facilitate her rebirth which was meant to restore it. With the Count and Mina gone, the cycle has ended, but the magic will search for balance once more and it will begin again."

"You mean that they'll come back," John asked, "Mina and the Count?"

Abraham nodded gravely.

"How is that you know these things?" John demanded, "You didn't even know that this coven existed only a short time ago and now you claim to have knowledge of information that logically this coven would strive to keep secret."

"A member of the coven tracked me down," Abraham revealed, "Almost immediately after I discovered their existence. She knew that I would keep digging and so she told me what I wanted to know in hopes that I would understand their goals. Sympathize with them perhaps. But I told her in no uncertain terms that if that monster was to return in the same form in which he died that I would hunt him down and kill him all over again."

"And how did she respond?" John frowned.

Abraham gave a grim, bitter sort of smile. "She placed a curse on my family," he said, "If I continue to hunt him after he returns, or if anyone in my family pursues him our lives will be damned. We will know only loss, and misery, and death. I found the matter rather amusing."

"Amusing?" John asked, his eyes wide, "How could you say that? This is serious. Mina's powers were impressive even in their developing state and its clear you know what these women are capable of. Why laugh in the face of damnation?"

"Because, Mr. Harker," Abraham smiled, "I am a hunter. Majority of my life has been about finding and destroying evil. Loss, misery, and death is all I have ever known from the very beginning."

**:::**

_**Mystic Falls, Virginia, 2009 A.D.**_

Bonnie sighed as she pulled up to Mystic Falls High School the next day and yawned as she turned off the engine of her blue Prius. Her grandmother had been right about one thing, she hadn't managed to get any more sleep after waking the night before. Instead she had been up listening to the storm die down and writing in her journal.

She was sure that she would be falling asleep at her desk before she even made it through fourth period.

"Is your Grams still going on about all of that witch stuff?" Elena Gilbert asked from her passenger's seat.

Bonnie looked at her friend, having forgotten that she was there. She shook her head in response to the question. "No," Bonnie said, "She's moved on to cryptic omens about something mysterious coming for me. I kind of miss her going on about the witch stuff actually."

"It could be true," Elena shrugged, "I mean you did predict Obama and Heath Ledger. And while Florida hasn't broken off into little resort islands yet I fully believe that it's entirely possible."

"Yeah," Bonnie sighed, "Well I'm not making any predictions this morning unless they involve sleep or coffee."

"Not even one's involving hot guys?" Elena asked pouting.

Bonnie shook her head. "I just broke up with Matt," she said, "I'm not really in the right place to be thinking about hot guys yet."

"Why did you break up with Matt again?" Elena asked, "I don't think that I got a chance to hear that story."

Bonnie sighed as she grabbed her back pack from the back seat. "It just didn't feel right," Bonnie said, "But it wasn't wrong either. He made me happy but it just felt off. I mean it felt like it wasn't supposed to him. That it was supposed to be someone else. Does that make sense?"

Elena frowned, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion. "No," she said, "Not really."

"It didn't make sense to him either," Bonnie said, "Or me really. Let's just add it to the long list of things that have absolutely no valid explanation right behind freak storms, my Grams making cryptic warnings about omens, and the creepy dreams I've been having."

"Dreams," Elena asked, "Wait a minute. What dreams?"

"Nothing," Bonnie said shaking her head quickly, "They're just stupid nightmares that I've been having the last couple of days."

"About what?" Elena asked, "The accident? Your parents?"

"No," Bonnie snapped, "Everything isn't about them. I've just been having a few bad dreams okay. Now can we please just drop it?"

"Okay," Elena said holding up her hands defensively, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

Bonnie shook her head, running a hand through her hair. "No I'm sorry," she said, "I just haven't slept and I'm tired and irritable and probably on the verge of some sort of nervous breakdown."

"Are you sure you even want to go inside?" Elena asked, looking at the school front.

"No," Bonnie answered truthfully, "But for some reason, I feel like I have to. Like something or someone's waiting for me." Bonnie laughed the thought of a moment later. "And it's probably someone waiting to have me committed," she said.

"You'll be fine once you get some sleep," Elena said, seriously.

"I hope so," Bonnie commented. She opened the door to her car and got out nearly knocking someone over as she did so.

"My first day teaching and I'm already being bowled over by students," a deep voice said, as a hand moved to help her steady herself on her feet.

Mortified Bonnie looked up at the man apologetically. "Sorry," she said, "I'm not entirely all here this morning."

"It's fine," the man said, smiling, "Are you alright?"

Bonnie nodded. "I'm fine," she said. She studied the man and found him to be unfamiliar. "You teach here?" she asked, "I don't remember ever seeing you here before. And shouldn't you be parking in the faculty lot?"

"To answer your second question," he said, "Probably but I seemed to have gotten turned around a bit. To answer your first question, you haven't seen me here because like I said before it's my first day. I'm Alaric Saltzman."

Bonnie nodded, thinking that he was likely the one that would be replacing Mr. Tanner. He seemed nicer at the very least. However, he was staring at her oddly and it was beginning to make her uncomfortable. "I'm Bonnie Bennett," she said, "I'm usually a good student, you know when I'm not running into teacher's head first."

He smiled in a way that made him look as if he were laughing at some sort of inside joke. "I bet you are," he said, "You look pretty smart. I'd even be willing to bet that you taught yourself in another life."

Bonnie smiled, hesitantly and shook her head. "I wouldn't go that far," she said, "Anyway good luck on your first day teaching. Hopefully no one else tries run you down."

"Thanks, Bonnie," Alaric winked, "I hope I get a chance to see you in my class."

He walked away a moment later, not even acknowledging Elena's presence. Bonnie and Elena shared a look. "Okay," Elena said, "That was weird."

"I know did you see the way he was looking at me," Bonnie shuddered, "It was like he could see right through me or something."

"Or like he wanted to see more of you," Elena frowned, "I thought Tanner was bad but it looks like they replaced him with a male version of Mary Kay Letourneau."

"Let's get inside before something else decides to get all crazy," Bonnie said, "I swear this is going to be the weirdest year ever."

Closing her car door and locking it, Bonnie walked toward the school, with Elena following closely behind.

**:::**

**Durham, North Carolina, 2007 A.D.**

Alaric Saltzman searched the belongings of his wife, Isobel Flemming in hopes that there would be anything that would make some sense of her untimely death or at the very least discover the reason behind it.

Isobel had always been drawn toward the paranormal. It was in fact the reason that she had been drawn to him in the first place. When they had met at Duke University years earlier she had been unwilling to give him the time of day, until she had learned that he was one of the last remaining descendants of Abraham Van Helsing.

Alaric had never taken the lore surrounding his mother's side of the family seriously but Isobel had. Nearly everything that she had discovered surrounding the supernatural she had taken seriously in fact and Alaric was certain that her obsession had played some kind of role in her death.

Alaric moved around his wife's office and stopped in front of her desk. There were papers littered everywhere but it was a photograph of the woman on top of the pile that drew his attention. It was yellowed with age and it seemed to have been passed through many hands. He could barely make out the woman's face, he was just able to differentiate her features. He flipped the photograph over and read the name on the back. "Mina Murray," he read aloud, "Photographed, 1892."

Sitting down at his wife's desk he began to sift through the papers. The name was familiar to him. She had been one of the targeted victims of the supposed vampire, Count Dracula, whom legend had said that Van Helsing had slain.

Isobel had taken notes on Mina's life. The woman had been young, a school mistress. The more Alaric read the more the he frowned. It seemed that Isobel had attempted to emulate Mina's life through teaching and getting involved with the supernatural, in order to draw out whom she believed to be the reincarnation of Count Dracula. Even their marriage had been a part of the plot, wedding one of Van Helsing's last descendants was her one final act of desperation to get the Dracul's attention. Immortality had been her aim. The hope of eternal life and eternal youth.

It seemed insane and Alaric was ready to write Isobel off as crazy and dismiss their marriage as a charade but something stopped him. If there was a chance that she had been right, it was possible that she had succeeded. The police had never found her body and if she had drawn the Count out and he had made her immortal, that would mean that she was still out there, undead but in a way still alive. It would mean that could find her.

He knew that he was grasping at straws, but there had to be a reason that his family's legend had lived on for so many years. There had to be an explanation for what had happened to Isobel.

Shuffling the papers once more, Alaric stopped as he came to a page with Abraham Van Helsing's name and began to read.

_**From the Journal of Vlad Tepes, former Prince of the House of Draculesti, henceforth known as Count Dracula, as translated by Abraham Van Helsing in 1897 A.D.**_

_For centuries I have lived in secret. Hiding in the shadows. Until now. I am a vampire and this is my story._

**:::**

_**Mystic Falls, Virginia 2009**_

Bonnie leaned against her locker, as Elena began digging through hers, her eyes roaming over the bodies moving around the halls. She stood up straight as she noticed Matt Donovan shuffling his books in and out of his own locker just across the hall from them. Bonnie attempted to wave and was met with a look of disbelief and a shake of the head before Matt walked away.

"See," Bonnie said, leaning back against the lockers and turning toward Elena, "He hates me."

Elena opened her mouth to respond but was cut off when Caroline Forbes suddenly appeared at Bonnie's side. "He doesn't hate you, sweetie," Caroline said, "He loves you, which is probably why he doesn't really want to talk to you right now. It's not a normal break up. He didn't just lose his girlfriend, you were his best friend too. I'm pretty sure you're getting the silent treatment for two more weeks at the very least."

"I figured as much," Bonnie shrugged, "I just kind of miss him."

"Then why did you break up with him?" Caroline asked, "And don't tell me that crap you said before about it feeling wrong or whatever."

"That's the only answer I have Care," Bonnie said.

"What's wrong with you today?" Caroline asked, "You look like you haven't slept and I'm pretty sure I've never seen you scowl so much."

Elena didn't miss the pointed look that Bonnie sent in her direction. While they were all friends Bonnie and Caroline had always been the closer of the three. Bonnie had always preferred Caroline's company over her own and Elena knew that if anyone could get her to really open up about whatever was going on with her that it would be Caroline.

"I'll see you guys later," Elena said, silently hoping that if she took herself out of the picture that Caroline would somehow pick up Bonnie's mood or at the very least get her to talk about what was bothering her, "I have to find my brother and make sure he's at the very least attempting to moderate his weed intake."

"Have fun," Caroline commented, as Bonnie gave Elena a parting wave. Caroline turned to Bonnie when Elena was out of eyeshot. "Okay," she said, "Spill. What's going on with you?"

"Honest answer is I don't know anymore," Bonnie said, "I feel like I don't even know myself. I mean even I know that that breakup with Matt kind of came out of nowhere. I haven't gotten any real sleep in the last three days because I've been having these nightmares about…it doesn't matter what they're about but I feel like I'm going crazy. And Grams has been drinking or maybe she just needs to be put in a home or something because she keeps going on and on about this witch stuff and last night she almost left the house during that freak storm. And I know she'll probably only get worse but I don't want to tell anyone because after mom and dad she's the only one I have left and whatever is going on with me, I can't deal with it alone."

Caroline frowned at the tears threatening to fall from Bonnie's eyes. "Come here," she said, opening up her arms. She hugged Bonnie as the other girl walked into them. "You're never going to be alone with me here," she said, "If anything happens you can always come and stay with me. You know that. But I'm sure everything is going to be fine. You and your Grams are both just grieving. It'll get better. I promise."

Bonnie nodded, as she pulled away though she wasn't sure that she believed her. She cursed the tears that fell down her face, and lifted her hand to wipe her cheeks, but froze as a voice suddenly invaded her mind. "_Bonnie_," the voice whispered. It sounded familiar, like the voice that had been haunting her dreams.

"Did you hear that?" Bonnie asked, looking around the hall and seeing no sign of anyone that the voice could belong to.

"Hear what?" Caroline asked, frowning.

"There was a voice," Bonnie said, her eyes darting around her, "It called my name."

"Look, Bonnie," Caroline said, worriedly, "Maybe you should just go home and get some rest. You're obviously not up for it this today. It won't kill you to miss one day of school."

Bonnie wasn't listening as she felt the voice invade her mind once more. "_See me_," the voice said, "_See me now_."

Bonnie suddenly felt as if she were in some sort of trance and she began to walk down the hall, not knowing where she was going. From somewhere seemingly far away she heard Caroline calling her name but a pull much stronger was causing her to move forward. She felt as if she had lost control over her own body and it wasn't long before she ran into a hard chest.

Bonnie came back to herself immediately as arms caught her around the waist to keep her from falling. "Sorry," Bonnie said, for what seemed like the millionth time that day, "I was upset and I wasn't looking where I was going. I…" Her voice trailed off as she looked up and her eyes locked with the green eyes of the person that she had run into. She didn't know where she had seen them but she was certain that she had looked into those eyes a million times.

"Don't worry about it," he said, and Bonnie just knew that it was the same voice that had just been in her head, "Are you alright?"

Bonnie would have answered but she really wasn't sure. She was losing her grip on reality that was the only explanation she could think of. She vaguely remembered Caroline suggesting that she leave and go home and she knew that it was probably a good suggestion and that she should but she didn't want to leave, she wanted to find out who this stranger was, where he had come from, and figure out where she had seen his eyes before.

As his arms unwrapped from around her Bonnie began to think more clearly. She looked down debating on whether she should run or simply stand there and pray that she would disappear.

"Are you alright?" He repeated, causing her to realize that she hadn't answered him.

Bonnie nodded, though she was anything but. "Fine," she whispered, "Thanks." She watched with amusement as he pulled a handkerchief out of the pocket of his jeans and offered it to her. "I didn't know people still carried those around," Bonnie said, even as she took it.

"I am a little old fashioned I suppose," he said, with a grin. She held her breath as he leaned forward and whispered into her ear. "Feel better, Bonnie."

Bonnie suddenly felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and she was surprised when she felt herself smile. She wiped her face and as she looked up to thank him she realized that she was gone.

A moment later, Caroline was at Bonnie's side grabbing ahold of her shoulder. "Bonnie," she said, "Are you okay? What the hell was that?"  
"I'm fine," Bonnie smiled, this time actually meaning it, "Really good actually."

Caroline didn't bother hiding her confusion, but decided not to push. She was simply glad that Bonnie was smiling, which was better than she had been doing a moment ago in any case. "So," she said, "Who was that I guy? He was hot. Do you know him?"

"No," Bonnie said, shaking her head, and then backtracked, "I don't know. Maybe."

She looked at the white handkerchief in her hands and noted the letter "D" embroidered on the corner of it with black thread.

_**End Notes: Okay so I am just going to end it here because I feel like it's really bad. Lol. I really tried you guys. Ha. In case you are confused Stefan is the handkerchief guy and "D" is for the House of the Draculesti. Anyway, not sure how long this is going to be. It actually kind of depends on your response. I was just trying to introduce the plot this first part so I am not sure that it turned out that well. Hopefully it will flow better now that I have the initial framework out of the way. Anyway guys tell me what you think. **_


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